But wait!! There's More!!!

Our final day in Jerusalem provided three highlights that we won't soon forget.  We began the day at the Garden Tomb.  It was very peaceful (except for the workers with the jackhammer).  It is very difficult to describe this place in words.  There is a sense of the divine everywhere you look and everywhere you go.  I was privileged to serve communion along with Rev. Morris before we went to the tomb.  It was truly a humbling experience.  The first picture is of the tomb itself and the photo alongside is of the gardens surrounding the tomb.  It is truly a beautiful place.

The picture below is the place where Jesus was laid.  On one hand it is a very sobering experience, but on the other hand you can't help but be joyful.  The sign on the door says it all.

The second stop on our journey was to the top of the Mount of Olives.  The view is absolutely stunning, and that is before you realize that this was the view Jesus had of the city during his triumphal entry.  Halfway down the mountain is a chapel that had this very interesting view (second photo).  At the bottom is the Garden of Gethsemane and a view of the Kidron Valley.

Our final stop was at the Wailing Wall.  This is truly an overpowering place.  The scale is massive. 

The photo on the left is inside Wilson's Arch.  This is the first manmade bridge ever constructed.  It spans nearly 75 feet and the original street is about 20 below the floor you see here.  Maybe sometime later I'll tell you all about it, but you might want to set a couple of hours aside for that.  The photo on the right is the last picture we took on this wonderful adventure.  It was taken for us by a Rabbi in front of the Book of the Scrolls.  I can't think of a better place to have my picture taken with my son.

There are so many other pictures and memories to share.  But let me say this, if you ever have a chance to go on a tour of the Holy Land, don't miss it!!!

Talk with you again soon,

John

More Pictures from Jerusalem

It's good to be home. Sorry for not posting these pictures earlier, but getting your body readjusted to a seven hour timezone difference is not as easy as it looks. I never really gave that whole "jetlag" thing much credence...until now. So, with my head being semi-coherent I can get back to business, not that it is much different now than before, but that's another topic entirely.

These pictures were taken on Tuesday (the 9th). We had an option of going to Masada or staying in Jerusalem for a free day. Let's weigh the options. Desert heat vs. tolerable heat. Cafeteria food vs. whatever we wanted to eat. Tall steep mountains vs. tall steep mountains. We chose to stay in Jerusalem. So, Andrew and I embarked on a great adventure. The story of which will undoubtedly be retold from generation to generation to come, but more on that later.

Together we walked through the bustling, chaotic streets of the Old City in search of Hezekiah's Tunnel. Along the way we took a few photos of the city. The first is of the southwest corner of the Temple Mount. The second is a view of Jerusalem taken from the city wall looking toward the south.


Now for the generations story. We had asked directions when we left the hotel and this was what we were told, "Go through the Dung Gate, turn left, then go down the hill and you will find the tunnel." Simple enough. We went through the Dung Gate and found the road that went down the hill - so far, so good.

After about 50 yards or so we came to the entrance of the archaeological site The City of David. Andrew suggested that we stop in there because perhaps they could give us better directions. Sensible, but we already had our directions, so I said that we should keep going. Besides, geographically the spring and pool had to be at the bottom of the hill. 1/2 mile later we came to the bottom and found the Pool of Siloam.

We told the two young Israeli boys in the kioske that we wanted to go through the tunnel and they told us that we were at the end of the tunnel and that we had to go back up the road to the entrance. The problem was that there were three roads and they didn't specify which one we should take. So we took the road we were standing on...back up the steep hill only to find out it dead ended into a residential area. Back down the hill. Then we tried road number two...same thing. We then went back to the kiosk to ask again, but the two boys were gone (probably laughing in the bushes).

So we tried road number three and it looked like we were about to suffer the same fate. Just as we were about to turn back, a Palestinian man asked us if he could help us. We told him what we were looking for and he pointed to some stairs behind us. "Climb those and you will find the entrance at the top." You guessed it, they went all the way back UP the mountain. So we climbed...and climbed...and climbed. To make an already painfully long story short, we ended up right back at the spot where Andrew had mentioned we try the first time. Now you know why this story will be told for generations to come, because he just won't let it go. Now on to the tunnel experience.

King Hezekiah built a tunnel connecting the Gihon Spring, which was outside the city walls, to the Pool of Siloam, which was inside the city wall. He did this because the city was under siege by the Assyrians in 701 BCE. The tunnel is 1749 feet long and was cut out of solid rock. Workers started from both ends and met in the middle, making it the original Chunnel. Water still flows through the tunnel. At its deepest it is nearly three feet deep, but most of the water level is between 6" to 8". To this day no one really knows how they did it, but it is really cool (literally and figuratively). The result was that Jerusalem now had a water supply inside the city walls and could withstand the siege. For the biblical story see 2 Chron. 32.

The first picture is of the tunnel we used to descend down to the water level. The second photo is of Warren's Shaft named after some archaeologist named Warren. The discovery of this shaft led archaeologists to discover the tunnel below. The final two photos are of the Pool of Siloam. The first is the view we had when we first emerged from the tunnel, the second was taken from above.






When we finally got through the tunnel we both knew that our struggle to get there was worth it. Until we realized that we had to go back up the hill for the FOURTH time. He still won't let it go. It was then back into the Old City and we purposely got lost just so we could experience the city in all its charm...and chaos. When we finally returned to the hotel, we took a nap. And that was the end of our excellent adventure that day.

John

Pictures from Jerusalem

On Monday we experienced Jerusalem.  Believe me when I say, it was a long day.  Rather than group the pictures in the order of the sites we visited, I thought it would be better to share them grouped by subject.  As you look at these first three pictures, they all relate to the Passion of Christ.  The steps in the first picture lead up the hillside to the courtyard of the High Priest Caiaphas.  This is where Peter denied Jesus three times before the rooster crowed.  Maybe I'll write a little more on that later, but what I want you to see are the steps.  They rise about 75 feet, they are very steep and slippery, and the ARE the actual steps the soldiers led Jesus on.  So use your minds eye and you can see Jesus flanked by soldiers, hands tied, beaten, tired, and knowing that he was about to face the worst moments of his life.

This is a closeup of Crown of Thorns tree.  They are more like spikes than thorns, about 3 inches long...and very sharp!  The crown the soldiers wove together and then jammed onto his head  was made out of this.

But, this is what the Crown of Thorn tree really looks like.  The spikes grow on the lower branches, but up on top are golden flowers that literally dazzle in the sunlight.  This is why it is said that the soldiers made a crown of thorns for Jesus, but the tree mocked them because they really gave him a crown of gold!

These pictures are from the Israel museum.  Much of the Dead Sea Scrolls are located here.  In fact, the book of Isaiah is located in a room under the white onion shaped dome.  They wouldn't let me take pictures of the scroll, but I thought the onion was pretty cool.

The museum also houses this massive model of Jerusalem from Jesus' day.  I'm not sure of the scale, but this thing is huge.  Here is the view of the Temple Mount from the east.  As a point of reference, this is close to the view Jesus had when he made his triumphal entry.  Except he didn't hav the buses, light towers, and other modern buildings in the background.

Here is a view of the Old City from the south.  On the right hand side is the City of David and the Kidron Valley.  Up on the hill to the left would be where the Upper Room was located along with the high priests house.

This view is of the Antonia Fortress where Pontius Pilate washed his hands.  The spot your looking for is right at the top of the staircase in the center of the picture.  See the two dark arches?  That's the spot.  Directly below those arches and on this side of the city wall is what many consider to be Golgotha, the site of the crucifixion. 

For those among us who call the Nazarene Church home, I couldn't resist.

Hope your are enjoying the journey so far.  There's more to come.  

John

Never Out of Sight

This trip has been exhilarating and exhausting, uplifting and sobering.  Sometimes all of this happens in a single moment.  Take our visit to the Garden of Gethsemane for example.  When the bus pulled up, I got out and looked up.  The first thing I saw was the Eastern Gate on the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock.

You'll forgive the geography lesson, but it is critical to our understanding of this moment.  The Garden is almost at the bottom of the Kidron Valley.  Until I got here, I didn't think much of the hills mentioned in the Bible.  But these are no ordinary hills.  They are steep...really steep.  So when I say I looked up, I mean I looked UP.  Gethsemane is just at the bottom of the other hillside, literally in the shadow of the Temple Mount.

The Garden is essentially an Olive Tree grove with lots of flowers planted throughout.  Some of these trees are said to be over 2000 years old, and they still produce olives.  Their trunks are twisted and gnarled.  And they have silently stood watch over the Garden since the time of Christ.  If they had eyes to see and mouths to tell the story, I wonder what it would be like.  Would they say, "Peter slept at the base of my trunk and James and John over there."  Or maybe one would chime in and say that it could hear Jesus' prayer that night.  

Back to geography.  As I walked through Gethsemane reflecting on what Jesus was going through when he last was here, I found myself looking up to the Temple Mount.  Then it dawned on me that no matter where I was in the Garden, I could still see where the Temple was.  The Temple was where God resided in the Holy of Holies.  And then came the moment.  Passing by one of my ancient Olive Tree friends I realized that Jesus could see the Father...and just as important, the Father could see Jesus.  

I had always thought that Jesus went through the Garden experience alone.  That he spent that night praying, "Not my will but thine be done..." separated from his friends, his family, his God. But that is not true.  You see, Gethsemane is literally shouting distance from the Temple.  The whole time, God was there with Christ in the Garden.  The whole time, God was speaking with him, ministering to him, supporting him, listening to him, loving him.  God never left Jesus, He heard every word, saw every tear, felt every drop of sweat and blood.  Jesus was not alone.

Ever have those times when it felt as though your prayers evaporated right before your eyes?  That they didn't have the power to rise above the rooftop let alone make it to heaven?  Ever felt like God was so far away that He couldn't see you or hear you when you are going through your most difficult trials?  Don't believe it.  When we come to God with our prayers, even when it feels like they are barren and surely won't be heard, remember this:

God is never out of sight.

John

Pictures from Jericho, Qumran and Bethelehem

Sorry for no post yesterday folks.  We were experiencing computer problems with the hotel's network, but we are back up and running.  So here are some pictures from our excursion to Jericho and Qumran.

Here is the Judean wilderness.  This is where Jesus was tempted for 40 days.

This is present day Jericho.  It is a desert oasis that sits right at the base of the Judean wilderness.  

Here is part of the city walls of the ancient Jericho that Joshua conquered using nothing but some trumpets and a lot of hot air.  I'm amazed more churches don't collapse on Sunday's.

Right next to the Dead Sea you will find Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found by a shepherd boy in 1947.  He was throwing a rock at one of his sheep to get it moving with the flock.  The first two missed and then he wound up and let the third one fly.  Good thing he had bad aim because the stone went right through the cave entrance and smashed a pot.  The rest is history.  Sometimes stubborn sheep can be a good thing.  

Qumran sits at the base of these barren mountains.

Here is Cave #4, where the complete scroll of Isaiah was found.

This is a view of the Dead Sea from Qumran.  In the background you can see Mt. Nebo, where Moses died and was buried before the Israelites crossed over the Jordan and blew down the walls of Jericho.

And then it was on to Bethlehem.  Bethlehem has a fairly large population of Christians, but it is also an occupied city.  We had to go through two checkpoints just to get in.  This turned out to be one of the more eventful parts of the trip with the bus having to go through some very narrow streets.  Glad I wasn't driving because we would probably still be there.  The only real attraction in Bethlehem is the Church of the Nativity.  Here is the spot that is said to be the exact place Jesus was born.  I'm not sure how they know this stuff, but I'll take their word for it. 

This is the entrance to the Church of the Nativity.  This door is only about 5 feet high.  It was rather comical watching Andrew try to get through.

A shot of the bell tower.

More pics to come.  See you soon.

John

Through the Valley

When Bible writers say that Jesus went down to Jericho, they're not kidding.  Jerusalem is over 2500 feet above sea level, and Jericho is more than 800 feet below sea level.  And they are only 20 miles apart.  My ears popped several times as we went down, down, down.  Along the way there is nothing but wilderness.  But this is not a Yellowstone or Yukon kind of wilderness.  It is one hill after another of nothing but rocks and sand and a plant every hundred feet or so.  Rocks on the hills, rocks in the valleys.  Everywhere you look, rocks...rocks...rocks.

And we saw a few herds of sheep, shepherds on donkeys, and a ton of camels.  I always thought of David as the shepherd boy leading his flock of sheep around in these lush country meadows, playing tag with them, skipping rocks, and using old tree stumps as target practice.  But the reality is that his life was filled with rocks.  Up the hills, through the valleys, looking for those one or two plants and some water.  Out here water is life.  And in this wilderness, there is not a whole lot of water.  But there are rocks.

The Jericho of Jesus' day (I found out there are three Jericho's) is located in an oasis.  This oasis is in the flat, fertile, lower Jordan valley at the base of the wilderness mountains.  The difference between Jericho and the surrounding desert is striking. We descended through nearly twenty miles of rocks and sand and there it was.  Less than half a mile from these desolate hills was this beautiful oasis, filled with trees, gardens, fruits and veggies.  

Tradition tells us that just outside Jericho, at the base of the mountains is the Valley of the Shadow of Death made famous by David's Psalm.  The picture above is that valley.  You will notice the steep hillsides, the rocks in the dry riverbed, and if you look really close you can see the old Roman road from Jerusalem to Jericho running horizontally across the top third of the photo (it is lighter in color than the surrounding mountain).  The valley floor was about 150 feet below us and the temperature the day I took this picture seemed like it was 150 degrees. Up to this point, this place was anything but pleasant.

But then came the moment, and Scripture came alive.  We recited the Psalm together.  "The Lord is my shepherd..."  I only got two lines into it before I realized that there were no still waters, no lush country meadows, and no tree stumps here.  Just rocks.  It made no sense.  "He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness..."  That path across the valley is anything but righteous.  "Yea, though I walk through the Valley of Death..."  Who would walk through that valley?  "Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me..."  Could this be it?  "You prepare a place for me..."  For me?  "You have anointed me - my cup overflows..."  Why me?  "Surely goodness and mercy will follow me..."  How can this be?  "And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."  Wow!

And there it was, in that moment, surrounded by the wilderness at the Valley of the Shadow of Death I discovered this:  God is life, and He is all I need.  Praise His holy name!

John

Pictures from Megiddo and Caesarea

Solomon's Stables at Megiddo.  These remains are over 3000 years old.  I think my dad was around to consult on the construction.

Andrew standing in the city Gates that Solomon built.  

Megiddo has been conquered over 22 times and dates back to pre-Caananite times.  to put that into perspective, the steps shown in the center of the photo are between 8000 and 10,000 years old.  Just a little before dad's time.

The view of Mt. Carmel from the top of Megiddo.  It's the shady mountain across the top left of the photo.  When I say shady, I don't mean 'of ill repute', just in case you were wondering.

The view of Mt. Moriah across the Jezreel Valley.  Again, look for the shady spot in the center of the photo.  The mountain is about 20 miles away and it was a little hazy.  Hey, your memory would be a little hazy in 105 deg. temperatures too!

Yesterday it was sheep.  Today it's cows.  Yes, those are cows grazing on the side of Megiddo.  I wonder what's next, cats?

This is the Theater in Ceasarea.  I heard that the broadway musical "Cats" was coming to play here, but that's just too much of a coincidence.

This is the jail the Apostle Paul sat in for 2 years.  Doesn't say much that it took him that long to realize there were no bars and half the walls weren't there.

The Aqueducts built by Herod in 22 BCE.  This particular aqueduct was 12 miles long and brought fresh water from Mt. Carmel to Caesarea.  It was big.

Here is another view.  It is still big.

The aqueducts run right along the coastline of the Mediterr... Meda....The Great Sea from Bible times.  Andrew and I got to walk in the water which was surprisingly warm...as I found out when he dunked me right after this picture.  Not really, but he was thinking about it!

More to come, so stay tuned!

John